A Brooklyn apartment developer looking to expand into new markets has chosen a site off Old Tampa Highway, drawn by increased demand for housing for workers at large west Lakeland warehousing and shipping centers. More
City commissioners voted 5-2 Monday to approve five new houses on the 35-acre Tract E of Morgan Creek Preserve north of West Pipkin Road after earlier proposals for 56 and 49 homes were turned back. Neighbors around Hamilton Road spoke out against the project, saying they have concerns about adding septic tanks to the area, The Ledger reports in a subscribers-only story. | City planning report and zoning ordinance
A rendering shown to city commissioners on Friday gives the public a glimpse of the design being considered for a large new park planned for Southwest Lakeland at Pipkin and Medulla roads near Lakeland Linder International Airport. More
A 96-unit apartment complex is planned for the Westgate neighborhood, south of George Jenkins Boulevard and west of Lake Beulah, and should bring new affordable housing to the area, city officials said at Monday morning’s Lakeland City Commission meeting. More
The city of Lakeland is adding two more butterfly gardens to the four it already maintains in an effort to help restore the monarch butterfly population. In addition, the city is offering residents free milkweed plants in order to encourage more home butterfly gardens. More
Residents in the Dixieland and Lake Morton neighborhoods expressed a common theme during Monday night’s informational meeting regarding changes to South Florida Avenue: Temporary improvements may be helping South Florida, but the problems are shifting to nearby residential streets. More
For Lakeland residents planning to attend next week’s public forum on the future of South Florida Avenue in Dixieland, a look at some proposed options might be helpful. Ten alternative lane alignments are outlined in a preliminary report from a consultant hired by the city of Lakeland to create a master plan for the corridor. More
Some residents around Harrell’s Nursery Road off of County Road 540A are having nightmares about screaming ambulance sirens, hovering helicopters and the traffic back-up of nearly 400 cars a hospital shift change could bring. More
Lakeland city commissioners have declined to draft regulations over short-term rentals such as those offered through AirBnB or VRBO, The Ledger reports. “We’re not interested in doing something proactively short term,” Mayor Bill Mutz said Friday during a work session held to explore the topic. The city legal staff had briefed commissioners on a Florida law that limits their domain over the rentals but also described regulations enacted by Flagler County commissioners that have withstood legal challenges. | ALSO: Video of the workshop | Previous LkldNow article
Polk County commissioners voted down two zoning proposals that would have allowed a developer to build apartments on the Imperial Lakes Golf Course. The land had already been rezoned last year for low-density residential uses, The Ledger reports. Neighbors opposing the new rezoning proposals cited compatibility, traffic and drainage issues.
